Track List

Inner Trip - Somewhere Near The Pulse

Fluttery Records is the home of many creative artists from all over the world. The label is now releasing the debut album of Inner Trip from Iran. 'Inner Trip' is the musical solo project of Saman N (born 1984, graphic artist and musician), on which he started to work since the spring 2011.

The project's musical genre was based on cinematic soundtracks in which there were multiple influences from other genres like 'Modern classical', 'Ambient', 'Electronic', 'Trip Hop'. However, Saman N's unique style of musicality also made 'Inner Trip' an "Experimental" project in the sense of musical genre. Beside of transferring his sole feelings to the audience, Saman N has quoted attempts to produce a music which could create strong visualizations for them.

'Inner Trip' started with the production of 'Somewhere Near The Pulse' album which was composed, recorded and produced from winter 2010 to summer 2011, an album with seven tracks and 46:49 length.

It is an album with seven pieces based-on cinematic and emotional atmosphere with lots of strange musical elements which are gathered to depict a dreamy dramatic story. He says “It's like a prophecy because there is no flat line to follow, no definite structure but that's all about a way to represent an inner world while strings, drums, woodwinds and electronic sounds combine to make a wide scene in the front of listener.”

As Saman N. quoted that during the production of "Somewhere Near The Pulse", he always tried to free himself by listening solely to the inspirations inside him and allowed these elements to shape his music as it should be. Therefore, he has called this album as an interesting risk in his artistic profile. Close your eyes , turn up the volume a bit and let the dreams began, have a good trip!

REVIEWS

Foxy Digitalis / Steve Dewhurst

Fluttery Records is releasing a wide range of adventurous music from across the globe. The label has got Greek post-rock (Sleepstream), free noise from Tokyo (the fascinatingly titled |˟˟|, which translates as ‘Gate’), electronica from St. Petersburg (Open Work Stocking) and cross-country experimental (Draff Krimmy) that results from collaborations between “members” who have never before met in person.

Inner Trip is Saman N, a one-man project based out of Tehran and he makes huge, glossy soundtracks to imaginary movies. The press release talks about the music’s ability to create visuals for the listener and it certainly does its job in that sense. From the cover image inwards, there’s an element of Hollywood Blockbuster about it all – the production values are high, the rough edges non-existent and the overall sound bombastic and widescreen. Despite the artist speaking about “[freeing] himself by listening solely to the inspirations inside him and [allowing] these elements to shape his music” and the album’s title hinting at it having been channelled from deep within, the music comes across as anything but personal. Instead these instrumentals are big, lavish crescendoing things that are more science fiction than intimate human drama. The drums are massive throughout, often clattering in to push a song on to its next movement. “Eltanin And Old Melodies” (the title itself sits uncomfortably on the fence between the enormous and the quaint) begins life as a series of synthesized strains before a gleaming guitar line and some twangy bass work take it into the realms of 1980s passion flick, all billowing curtains and the ocean reflected on muscular writhing backs. By the end there are strings, drums, piano, synths and even a glitchy electronic break down – in other words it’s a bit Jean-Michel Jarre. In places it actually reminded me a bit of Rangers if Joe Knight had won on the Lotto and jazzed his gear up a bit. Well okay, a lot. Not that Somewhere Near The Pulse isn’t impressive – that Saman N made all this alone is a feat to be admired and he’s nothing if not proficient – but it’s hard to reconcile it with notions of “inner worlds” and “his sole feelings” when it all smacks so heavily of studio wizardry. Elsewhere ‘Moonlight And Her Shoulder’ gets off to a suitably smouldering start and the elemental ‘Labyrinth’ darkens the tone with a series of drips and distant voices. This and ‘Eternity’ are the only tracks on the album that avoid the dramatic crescendo treatment and are stronger (if slightly less stirring) for it, leaving the listener to make visual decisions for themselves without the overblown sonic prompts. Maybe I’m wrong and Saman N actually made this all at home in his bedroom. If so, he’s got one hell of a bedroom.

Hypnagogue

When “Eltanin and the Old Memories,” the opening track of Inner Trip’s debut release, Somewhere Near the Pulse, glides into a bit of spy-movie-theme song cool, complete with that ever-present twangy guitar sound that apparently accompanies anyone engaged in espionage, it’s clear where the inspiration is coming from and what Inner Trip has planned. Although the Fluttery Records web site notes Somewhere Near the Pulse as post-rock with influences of modern classical and trip hop, I think it’s more contemporary instrumental, and distinctly pushed in the direction of soundtrack material. The stories are very strong here. Inner Trip’s tones and emotions are evocative, and you may find yourself setting up scenes in your head. My mental camera eases across a snow-coated wood when I hear “The Pulse of Nature”; “Moonlight and Her Shoulders” moves from contemplation to reconciliation; “Labyrinth” paces a small, untidy room, knowing something is about to happen–and expecting the worst. Iranian artist Saman N. handles all his instrumentation, whether acoustic or electronic, superbly. The mix is seamless and the range is impressive. He gets bonus points for closing out the disc with the scaled-back atmosphere of “Eternity.” After six larger and bolder pieces, he lays out a sparse, tenuous stretch of sound on the edge of ambient, again showing that mix of solid and synthetic–and once more loading it with feeling. A single, well-spaced and understated thump of percussion ominously marks the passage of time. Somewhere Near the Pulse is a very good debut that speaks of more good work to come from Inner Trip.